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The United Nations has found evidence that Bangladeshis were trafficked to Russia and sent to fight on the front lines in Ukraine, with Russian authorities coordinating with recruitment agents operating in various countries.
The UN commission also obtained copies of business visas issued to recruited Bangladeshis, which referred to invitations from a Russian civilian company.
The findings were included in a draft report published on October 26 on the website of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report was prepared by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine for presentation to the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
According to the report, the commission examined information on the recruitment of foreign nationals into the Russian armed forces from 48 countries and found evidence of deception or coercion involving citizens of 29 countries.
Besides Bangladesh, the countries listed include India, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, Botswana, Cameroon, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Honduras, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
The report said Russian authorities coordinated with recruitment agents or agencies in various countries to enlist these individuals in the Russian armed forces. All the victims were men aged between 18 and 60, most of whom came from economically disadvantaged and marginalised communities. Many had limited educational backgrounds.
Many of the recruits were sent to the battlefield, where some were killed, injured, captured or went missing. However, the report provided no separate details on the number of visas issued, the number of Bangladeshi recruits, their identities or their fate.
The report also described a group of 30 people who were given written assurances that they would not be sent to the Russia-Ukraine battlefield. By the time the report was prepared, 17 members of the group had been killed on the front lines, five were missing and one had returned injured. The report did not identify the nationalities of the group members.
Earlier, Prothom Alo published a report on October 21 titled “Lured by jobs, 54 die in Russia war in three years”, documenting the deaths of at least 54 people who had travelled to Russia. That report also raised allegations that people had been sent to fight after being lured by promises of employment.
In a statement published on the OHCHR website, Erik Møse, head of the UN commission, said the investigation had found that Russia coordinated with agents operating worldwide to recruit citizens of 29 countries into its armed forces and send them to the front lines in Ukraine.
He said the victims had been enticed to travel to Russia through false employment promises, deception and fraud that exploited their vulnerabilities.
However, international media reported on Monday, citing a statement from Russia’s UN mission, that Moscow does not recognise the commission’s mandate. Russia claimed that the report was based on false information. Source: Agencies.
